Impact of the Self-Assessment Tool for Fieldwork Educator Competency on Selfperceived Competence of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educators

Background: Occupational therapy fieldwork education bridges a student's didactic instruction and clinical practice. An occupational therapy student's level-II fieldwork provides the opportunity to practice the skills and theory learned in the classroom to become an entry-level practitioner. Due to the minimal requirements to become a fieldwork educator, fieldwork educators report needing more preparation to supervise a level II fieldwork student. Purpose: For students to have beneficial fieldwork experiences, fieldwork educators must identify as confident and competent educators. However, the literature shows that there needs to be more preparation provided to fieldwork educators. This study aimed to discover the impact of using the Self-Assessment Tool for Fieldwork Educator Competency (SAT-FWC) as a method of reflective practice on fieldwork educators' self-perceived competence. Methods: Fieldwork educators at MDACC completed the SAT-FWC before their students' fieldwork rotation and created a development plan to facilitate reflective learning. At the end of the student rotation fieldwork, educators retook the SAT-FWC to determine if the SAT-FWC affected their competency behaviors. The fieldwork educators were surveyed to understand their experiences with bringing the SAT-FWC and using the development plan during fieldwork education. Results: Test participants' average scores improved in all competency areas on the SAT-FWC tool. Each behavior identified in the fieldwork educator's development plan either improved or remained the same after their student's fieldwork rotation. Conclusion: When used as a reflective practice tool, the SAT-FWC and the development plan positively impact fieldwork educator competence. Implications for this study include the identified need for reflective practice learning opportunities for fieldwork educators in the clinical setting that are efficient and effective. Fieldwork educators may benefit from structured learning opportunities to improve their competence as educators in the clinic. Overall, the improvements in fieldwork educator competence may positively impact student experiences.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Professional Leadership, Education

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Mohammed, Asfia M

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• McNeil, Sara G.
• Hausmann, Robert

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Braveman, Brent
• Kovic, Mark
• Urish, Christine

• Education, Health

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/21055

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/21055